THE PUZZLE- Modem, Concerto, Sonata, Wire, Monitor, Watch, Camera, Check, Light, Processor, Key, Observe, Rondo, Binary, Stone, Memory THE CATEGORIES- MUSICAL FORMS: Sonata, Binary, Rondo, Concerto SURVEILLANCE: Monitor, Watch, Observe, Check COMPUTER COMPONENTS: Processor, Modem, Camera, Memory WORDS WITH "LIME": Key, Wire, Light, Stone THE REASONING- The main trick of this puzzle is that every category has at least one example that is related to computers. For example, Binary Form is a type of classical music orchestration, but it's also a type of code. A monitor could mean a computer screen, but it could also mean to supervise. Key, Wire, and Light could all refer to parts associated with computers. There is also an element of confusion as some of these words have multiple meanings not associated with their categories. For example, Key could mean a metal key, a button on a keyboard, or even refer to the Florida Keys! Another example would be Watch, which could be both a verb and a noun. There areThe word Camera specifically could be tricky because it could be paired with the surveillance words, or with Light, Memory, and Wire to discuss photography. The musical category will be difficult if someone is unfamiliar with those terms, but once it is understood then it can be knocked out pretty quickly, allowing for players to focus on the other aspects of the puzzle.

Choosing a favorite song on this album is so difficult! Several of the songs like "365" and "Talk Talk" (the remix and the original) have such a mesmerizing quality, I can't help but to just listen to them on a loop! So many of the lyrics are so relatable as well, such as Lorde's line "I was so lost in my head and scared to be in your pictures 'cause for the last couple years I've been at war with my body, I tried to starve myself thinner and then I gained all the weight back" in the "girl, so confusing" remix, or the hauntingly simple "Door is open, let in, but still outside" from "I might say something stupid." However, my favorite song isn't my favorite for any of these reasons. My favorite song, "B2b," is my favorite because it scratches the music-major part of my brain. Firstly, the song is honestly reminiscent of Beethoven's 5th to me, because of the intense development of a motif, or musical idea. Beethoven's symphony is characterized by the iconic "bum bum bum bummm" that anyone would recognize anywhere, and this motif is imitated, transposed, reversed, flipped upside down, expanded, shortened, and repeated across the entirety of the work. He actually received a lot of criticism at the time because of its repetitive nature, but music scholars argue that it's really a true example of his genius. "B2b" is no different! Through the course of the song, you hear the "back to back" theme repeating over and over and being transformed into many different themes. I'm not sure if Beethoven could ave written "BRAT," but I think that Charli could have written a symphony in the Classical/Romantic periods and received similar critical acclaim! Secondly, because this song is built upon such simplicity and then elaborated, it lends itself very well to remixes for other songs! It's repetitive nature allows it to be a blank slate, or a sort of "vanilla" to complement the flavor of another song. Particularly, I have been attempting to arrange a piece for SATB acapella voices as a mashup of "B2b" and "Til the World Ends" by Britney Spears. They both have the same sort of cheeky, sinister, "party girl" energy, and they both happen to be in the key of Ab major. This song would also be compatible with many more songs (such as Firework- Katy Perry Thirdly, the actual musical content is actually both innovative and advanced. The extramusical elements of the song (such as rhythmic breathing, reminiscent of Tibetan music traditions) make it particularly suited to acapella performance. The song even follows Sonata form (Exposition, Development, Recapitulation)! She opens in the exposition with the main theme of "back 2 back", keeping the same melodic content but shifting the harmonic structure several times. Then, she Develops the theme by going to the "back back back" section, utilizing a new iteration of the theme and doing some really complex metric shifts in compound meters, before going to the C section for fresh melodic content and then ending with a Recapitulation of the main theme while remaining in the original key. These reasons and more are why "BRAT" is an exemplary album and "B2b" is a study in the fusion of classical and modern music techniques!

Ever since I was able to open my mouth, I have used it to sing. My parents even met in a community choir, so I was genetically predispositioned to love performing. I have known ever since I was a little girl that I was meant for the stage, however, it wasn't until high school that I became sure I wanted to be a teacher. Singing is my bread and butter, but I have also been a band kid for as long as I have been able- I picked up a clarinet in the 6th grade and never looked back. Though I didn't excel at instruments as much as I did in choir, I found a home in the band department and grew close with my director. In my senior year, he offered me a position as a student aide for his Special Needs Percussion class. I immediately agreed, but didn't realize just how much the class would affect me. Those mornings spent in the band room with 10-20 happy kids were some of the best of my school career. I realized through this opportunity that the act of teaching fed my soul and decided to pursue it. I am currently a junior studying music at CNU, on track to earn a B.M. in Choral Music Education and a Masters of Teaching in the 5-year program. During my time here I have been extremely involved in both the music and education communities. In addition to my studies, I am a dedicated member of ACDA (American Choral Directors Association). I have also served in the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) as Historian and President, having just been re-elected for a second presidential term. As president, I have worked to strengthen our bonds with the Newport News area by providing opportunities for our membership to go into local middle schools to lead small groups and sectionals with individualized attention focused on rebuilding fundamentals that were lost over the course of COVID. This work earned us a Chapter of Excellence Award at the state-wide conference this past fall! As a musician, I have sought out ways to experience music outside of academics. This led me to join my acapella group, University Sounds. This ensemble has had an invaluable impact on me and my time in college. It provided me a space to let loose, make friends, and make music in a low stress environment. I have held multiple elected positions in the group, including Marketing Director, Assistant Music Director, and Music Director. During my time in the group, I took on the mammoth project of planning our organizations 15 Year Reunion. This was a massive undertaking, but through my years' worth of planning and collaboration with CNU's alumni house, I pulled it off! It was so heartwarming to see generations of musicians together in one room. As Music Director, I have led our group through a rough transition where we lost almost half of our membership (losing some voice parts entirely). Despite this, we competed at invitationals, put on an impressive spring concert, and collaborated with the other 5 campus groups to put on a show in the largest concert hall on campus. This event even earned the acapella community a nomination for a Campus Collaboration Leadership Award! Beyond the music, I have worked very hard to foster genuine relationships between members. This hard work has paid off because I have heard countless times from members that our group has grown to truly feel like a family, and I hope to continue to nurture these kinds of relationships in my own future classroom.

I am currently a junior studying music at CNU, on track to earn a B.M. in Choral Music Education and a Masters of Teaching in the 5-year program. During my time here I have been extremely involved in both the music and education communities. In addition to my studies, I am a dedicated member of ACDA (American Choral Directors Association). I have also served in the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) as Historian and President, having just been re-elected for a second presidential term. As president, I have worked to strengthen our bonds with the Newport News area by providing opportunities for our membership to go into local middle schools to lead small groups and sectionals with individualized attention focused on rebuilding fundamentals that were lost over the course of COVID. This work earned us a Chapter of Excellence Award at the state-wide conference this past fall! As a musician, I have sought out ways to experience music outside of academics. This led me to join my acapella group, University Sounds. This ensemble has had an invaluable impact on me and my time in college. It provided me a space to let loose, make friends, and make music in a low stress environment. I have held multiple elected positions in the group, including Marketing Director, Assistant Music Director, and Music Director. During my time in the group, I took on the mammoth project of planning our organizations 15 Year Reunion. This was a massive undertaking, but through my years' worth of planning and collaboration with CNU's alumni house, I pulled it off! It was so heartwarming to see generations of musicians together in one room. As Music Director, I have led our group through a rough transition where we lost almost half of our membership (losing some voice parts entirely). Despite this, we competed at invitationals, put on an impressive spring concert, and collaborated with the other 5 campus groups to put on a show in the largest concert hall on campus. This event even earned the acapella community a nomination for a Campus Collaboration Leadership Award! Beyond the music, I have worked very hard to foster genuine relationships between members. This hard work has paid off because I have heard countless times from members that our group has grown to truly feel like a family, and I hope to continue to nurture these kinds of relationships in my own future classroom. My goal for the future is simple- to raise the next generation of music lovers. While I would love to train miniature Mozarts or baby Brahms, I would consider myself very successful if my students left my classroom with a passion and appreciation for music & having felt seen and heard in the musical experiences we had together. I believe that I have already started doing this in my acapella group, and I look forward to continuing to learn techniques to further this work and become the best educator I can be. As a college student in America, it has become increasingly harder and more expensive to both get an education and provide for yourself. Tuition costs are astronomical and loans are predatory and scarce. This scholarship would be a meaningful stepping stone to this goal because it will allow me to focus solely on my studies and growing as a musician rather than supporting myself so that I can shape the musicians of tomorrow.